As if the world didn’t already have enough patent trolls, Paul Allen has sullied his name and jumped into the fray suing Google, Facebook, Apple and a bunch of other high profile companies alleging infringement of a number of patents held by his company, Interval Research Corp (now defunct). It’s a travesty that Allen has stooped to this level. Patent trolls are in my view the lowest of the low. And while our current – completely messed up – patent system erroneously rewards this behavior, most trolling takes place by firms and individuals you and I have never heard of (and frankly don’t want to know). Why Allen – worth an estimated $14Bn – feels the need to stoop to this level is hard to imagine.

And consider the patents at issue. One involves “technology” that suggests related products to a ecommerce site user. Another shows web news readers stories on related subjects.

Clearly very novel and protectable.

I’m considering trying to patent a “method for extorting money from legitimate companies for using obvious technology that was erroneously granted patent protection” and using it to go after these patent trolls.

Bleh.

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Hi, I'm Seth Levine, a Boulder, CO based technology investor and managing director at Foundry Group. While I love technology I’m also a husband, father, avid cyclist, snowboarder and outdoors guy. I live just outside of Boulder with my wife Greeley and our three wonderful kids.